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The Free Methodist Church, the Wesleyan Methodist Church, the Salvation Army and the Church of the Nazarene)
A Study of Denominations 1 Corinthians 14:33 (KJV 1900) - 33 For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints. Holiness Churches - Introduction • In historical perspective, the Pentecostal movement was the child of the Holiness movement, which in turn was a child of Methodism. • Methodism began in the 1700s on account of the teachings of John and Charles Wesley. One of their most distinguishing beliefs was a distinction they made between ordinary and sanctified Christians. • Sanctification was thought of as a second work of grace which perfected the Christian. Also, Methodists were generally more emotional and less formal in their worship. – We believe that God calls every believer to holiness that rises out of His character. We understand it to begin in the new birth, include a second work of grace that empowers, purifies and fills each person with the Holy Spirit, and continue in a lifelong pursuit. ―Core Values, Bible Methodist Connection of Churches • By the late 1800s most Methodists had become quite secularized and they no longer emphasized their distinctive doctrines. At this time, the "Holiness movement" began. • It attempted to return the church to its historic beliefs and practices. Theologian Charles Finney was one of the leaders in this movement. When it became evident that the reformers were not going to be able to change the church, they began to form various "holiness" sects. • These sects attempted to return to true Wesleyan doctrine. Among the most important of these sects were the Nazarene church and the Salvation Army. -
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Church of God in Christ PR Pr
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Church of God in Christ PR www.cogic.org [email protected] THE CHURCH OF GOD IN CHRIST ELECTS BISHOP J. DREW SHEARD AS ITS NEW PRESIDING BISHOP Memphis, TN (March 20, 2021) Bishop J. Drew Sheard has been elected as the new Presiding Bishop of the Church of God in Christ (COGIC), the largest Pentecostal denomination in the country. The Church of God in Christ (COGIC) General Assembly, the legislative body of the denomination, has voted Bishop J. Drew Sheard of Detroit, Michigan as the leader of the worldwide organization. Presiding Bishop Sheard says, “I am humbled and incredibly grateful for the opportunity to serve this extraordinary organization, the Church of God in Christ, as its new leader and Presiding Bishop.” He adds, “To be elected to serve as the Presiding Bishop for the Church in which I was born, raised, and have learned and served all my life, is a dream and desire that can only be fulfilled by God’s loving grace and guidance. The opportunity to serve such an extraordinary organization at our highest recognized level of priesthood is beyond humbling. I am so grateful for the unparalleled support of my loving wife, Karen, who has served diligently alongside me in ministry, and for my children. I could never adequately honor or appreciate my parents for demonstrating holiness by sheer example. With complete excitement and joy, I look forward to serving the Lord’s people.” Presiding Bishop J. Drew Sheard was born on January 1, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan, to Bishop and Mrs. -
2017 5 for 5 Churches
United Church of Christ 5 for 5 churches Abundant Peace UCC, Las Vegas, NV Advent United Church of Christ, Columbus, OH All Peoples UCC, Bend, OR Allegheny United Church of Christ, Alleghenyville, PA Amherst Community Church, Snyder, NY Amistad Chapel, Cleveland, OH Apples UCC, Thurmont, MD Arcade United Church of Christ Congregational, Arcade, NY Arlington Congregational UCC, Jacksonville, FL Augustana UCC, Holland, IN Bainbridge Community UCC, Chagrin Falls, OH Baiting Hollow Congregational UCC, Calverton, NY Barneveld Congregational UCC, Barneveld, WI Bausman Memorial UCC, Wyomissing, PA Bay View UCC, Norfolk, VA Beaver United Church of Christ, Beavercreek, OH Ben Salem UCC, Lehighton, PA Berkeley Community Cong UCC, Denver, CO Bethany Congregational UCC, San Antonio, TX Bethany UCC, Baxter, IA Bethany UCC, Chicago, IL Bethany UCC, Freeport, IL Bethany UCC, Louisville, KY Bethany UCC, Claremont, NC Bethany UCC, Cuyahoga Falls, OH Bethany UCC, Bethlehem, PA Bethany UCC, Philadelphia, PA Bethany UCC, Randolph, VT Bethany United Church of Christ, Lebanon, OH Bethel Congregational UCC, Ontario, CA Bethel Congregational UCC, Beaverton, OR Bethel Congregational UCC, White Salmon, WA Bethel Memorial UCC, Creve Coeur, IL Bethel UCC, Nebraska City, NE Bethel United Church of Christ, Cahokia, IL Bethel United Church of Christ, Elmhurst, IL Bethel United Church of Christ, Evansville, IN Bethel United Church of Christ, Kansas City, MO Bethel United Church of Christ, Beloit, OH Bethel United Church of Christ, Elkhart Lake, WI Bethel-Bethany UCC, -
United Church of Christ
United Church of Christ Religious Beliefs and Healthcare Decisions by Arlene K. Nehring he United Church of Christ (UCC) was born out T of, and continues to shape and be shaped by, the ecumenical movement—the attempt of Christians to unite around matters of agreement rather than to divide over matters of disagreement. In 1957, two denominations merged, the Congregational Christian Churches and the Evangelical and Reformed Church, Contents resulting in the United Church of Christ. The Individual and 2 Although the UCC is usually viewed as an heir to the Patient-Caregiver Relationship the Reformed Protestant tradition, the denomination also includes historic Lutheran roots among the tradi- Family, Sexuality, and Procreation 3 tions that inform its faith and practice. The UCC is Genetics 5 sometimes described as a “non-creedal” church Mental Health 6 because no specific confession or set of confessional statements is considered normative for the church’s Death and Dying 8 faith. But UCC beliefs can be gleaned not only from Special Concerns 9 the numerous confessions that the church has actual- ly employed, but also from the traditions reflected in its worship and other practices, such as confirmation. From this perspective, the UCC might better be described as a “multi-creedal, multi-confessional” church. It embraces a rich Protestant heritage in which the primary authority of the Scriptures, justifi- cation by grace through faith, and the continuing guidance of the Holy Spirit are all central tenets. Although the UCC also features enormous theological diversity, two other key principles are embraced by virtually all its members. -
The Nature of Christian Unity: Historical Understandings of Churches of Christ *
The Nature of Christian Unity: Historical Understandings of Churches of Christ * Douglas A. Foster Abilene Christian University Abilene, Texas The nineteenth-century origins of Churches of Christ are suffused with ideas that could easily be labeled ecumenical despite the communion’s twentieth-century reputation for exclusivist sectarianism. The Stone-Campbell Movement from which Churches of Christ emerged was clearly a Christian unity movement. The strategy for effecting unity proposed by leaders like Barton W. Stone and Thomas and Alexander Campbell, however, was an appeal to individual Christians—the faithful scattered throughout the sects—not to denominations. When true Christians abandoned the divisions represented by the mutually exclusive denominations to unite on the clear teachings of Scripture—those ideas on which all evangelical Christians already agreed—without human philosophies and traditions, visible unity would be the result. In every locality persons united to Christ would come together to form a church of Christ, inherently one with all other such groups. Early leaders rejected the Protestant invisible church idea of an existing spiritual unity because they believed it justified continued division between denominations.1 Thomas Campbell articulated the idea in 809 in one of the classic documents of the movement, “The Declaration and Address of the Christian Association of Washington (PA).” __________ *This paper was presented at the meeting of the Stone- Campbell Dialogue in June 2004 at the Disciples Center, Indianapolis, Indiana. It was presented earlier to The Faith and Order Commission of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA, November 1999. 88 Lexington Theological Quarterly Prop. 1. -
Reformed Tradition
THE ReformedEXPLORING THE FOUNDATIONS Tradition: OF FAITH Before You Begin This will be a brief overview of the stream of Christianity known as the Reformed tradition. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Cumberland Presbyterian Church, the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and the Christian Reformed Church are among those considered to be churches in the Reformed tradition. Readers who are not Presbyterian may find this topic to be “too Presbyterian.” We encourage you to find out more about your own faith tradition. Background Information The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) is part of the Reformed tradition, which, like most Christian traditions, is ancient. It began at the time of Abraham and Sarah and was Jewish for about two thousand years before moving into the formation of the Christian church. As Christianity grew and evolved, two distinct expressions of Christianity emerged, and the Eastern Orthodox expression officially split with the Roman Catholic expression in the 11th century. Those of the Reformed tradition diverged from the Roman Catholic branch at the time of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century. Martin Luther of Germany precipitated the Protestant Reformation in 1517. Soon Huldrych Zwingli was leading the Reformation in Switzerland; there were important theological differences between Zwingli and Luther. As the Reformation progressed, the term “Reformed” became attached to the Swiss Reformation because of its insistence on References Refer to “Small Groups 101” in The Creating WomanSpace section for tips on leading a small group. Refer to the “Faith in Action” sections of Remembering Sacredness for tips on incorporating spiritual practices into your group or individual work with this topic. -
The Early Apostolics and the Trinity
Chapter 3 The Early Apostolics and the Trinity The Tenets of the Apostolic Church begin with the Trinity (a feature which curiously sets them apart from most other evangelical and Pentecostal state- ments of faith).1 While most other evangelical and Pentecostal movements commence their doctrinal statements with reference to Scripture, the Tenets do not mention Scripture until the eighth position (between the Sacraments and Church government, and thus firmly within the context of ecclesiology). This primacy of the Trinity in the order of the Tenets was not accidental. Rath- er, the early leaders of the Apostolic Church were making clear their firm belief that the doctrine of the Trinity was the doctrine upon which all others rest and from which all others derive their meaning. Hence, unsurprisingly, some of these early leaders devoted significant reflection to the doctrine of the Trinity. 3.1 D.P. Williams and Thomas Rees: The Trinity and the Trinitarian Undergirding of All Theology In 1939 D.P. Williams wrote a two-volume work entitled The Trinity.2 The draft was intended as the first in a series exploring the Tenets of the Apostolic Church. However, due to the outbreak of war, it was never published, and when, after the war and ensuing paper shortages concluded, a series of works on the Tenets was finally published, the volumes included in the series were much less substantial. In fact, these works were not published until after the death of Williams, and thus without any contribution from his pen. When a volume on the Trinity was eventually published in the series of ‘Te- net Booklets’, it was a very short work by Thomas Rees.3 However, this work by 1 The statements of faith of the Elim Pentecostal Church and AoG (the other two indigenous British Pentecostal denominations) both commence with a statement on Scripture. -
Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ
THE INTERIM MINISTRY HANDBOOK of the New Hampshire Conference, United Church of Christ Contents I. An Introduction to Interim Ministry II. A Shared Ministry: Responsibilities and Expectations A. Policies Concerning Interim Ministry B. Characteristics of the Interim Minister C. Compensation Guidelines D. Contractual Concerns E. Guidelines Concerning Responsibilities and Expectations F. Additional Suggestions III. Interim Ministry Profile III. A Covenant for Interim Pastorates V. Background Disclosure This Handbook is intended primarily as a resource for Interim Ministers. Approved by the Interim Ministry Group and the Conference Minister of the New Hampshire Conference of the United Church of Christ, November, 1998 Updated 9/04 Updated 1/11 2 An Introduction to Interim Ministry The interim period is the time that occurs between the end of one settled pastorate and the beginning of the next. An interim pastor serves a church only during this period, and will not be a candidate for the permanent position. This limitation is the basis for the unique work of the interim pastorate, and it is the responsibility of the interim pastor to maintain the integrity of the position and the work. I. The Interim Minister A. Within the United Church of Christ, interim ministry is understood to be the specialized, time-limited pastoral ministry provided to a local congregation or other ecclesiastical setting during the search process for a person to be called to provide settled ministerial leadership in that setting. The Interim Minister, like other authorized ministers in the United Church of Christ is subject to the oversight of the Association’s Committee on Church and Ministry. -
The Holy Spirit in the Churches of Christ
Leaven Volume 8 Issue 3 Theology and Ministry Article 7 1-1-2000 The Holy Spirit in the Churches of Christ James W. Thompson [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven Part of the Biblical Studies Commons, Christianity Commons, and the Religious Thought, Theology and Philosophy of Religion Commons Recommended Citation Thompson, James W. (2000) "The Holy Spirit in the Churches of Christ," Leaven: Vol. 8 : Iss. 3 , Article 7. Available at: https://digitalcommons.pepperdine.edu/leaven/vol8/iss3/7 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Religion at Pepperdine Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Leaven by an authorized editor of Pepperdine Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]. Thompson: The Holy Spirit in the Churches of Christ Theology and Ministry 129 The Holy Spirit in the Churches of Christ BY JAMES W. THOMPSON Several years ago a student from a Pentecostal that is primarily associated with form and structure. church remained after class to follow up on our dis- Hence our canon-within-the-canon has consisted of cussion of the Holy Spirit, which had been a major those books that are known in Protestant scholar- topic of the evening's lecture from Romans 8. Dur- ship as "early Catholic." ing the conversation he expressed his amazement This focus on the early Catholic literature has had that the Churches of Christ, with their great empha- significant consequences for our understanding of sis on Acts, devote little attention to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit, inasmuch as our own hermeneuti- particularly to the charismatic gifts. -
Footnotes: What Is an Evangelical? W: Palmer+Hicks+Howell+Huffman
Harding University Scholar Works at Harding Footnotes: Curated Resources for Ministers Harding School of Theology 2-26-2020 Footnotes: What is an Evangelical? w: Palmer+Hicks+Howell+Huffman Bob Turner Harding School of Theology Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hst-footnotes Recommended Citation Turner, B. (2020). Footnotes: What is an Evangelical? w: Palmer+Hicks+Howell+Huffman. Retrieved from https://scholarworks.harding.edu/hst-footnotes/36 This Newspaper is brought to you for free and open access by the Harding School of Theology at Scholar Works at Harding. It has been accepted for inclusion in Footnotes: Curated Resources for Ministers by an authorized administrator of Scholar Works at Harding. For more information, please contact [email protected]. February 26, 2020 Hey friends, You hear it all the time. Evangelical Megachurches, Evangelical publishers, The Evangelical vote, White, Evangelical males. It's everywhere. They're everywhere. You can't escape them: those Evangelicals. That not-terribly-specific religious group who gets all the press. I'm not sure I know who they are. I'm a bit unsure of what they believe. Most importantly...am I one of them? We'll find out in this issue. I have a roundtable with three great thinkers who know Evangelicalism from the Church of Christ side, in addition to a second roundtable with prominent Memphis Evangelical pastor, Cole Huffman. Also: Across the Spectrum All-Pro Dad A Few More Footnotes. Footnotes Roundtable: Are Churches of Christ Evangelical? John Mark Hicks teaches at Lipscomb University. His most recent book Searching for the Pattern was recently reviewed in Footnotes. -
Appendix B: Methodology for Estimating Christian Movements
95 GLOBAL CHRISTIANITY Appendix B: Methodology for Estimating Christian Movements In many countries, censuses and demographic surveys do not include the detailed denominational affiliation and religious self-identification measures necessary for determining the size of global movements within Christianity (such as evangelicalism, pentecostalism and the charismatic movement). The figures on Christian movements in this report were commissioned by the Pew Forum from the Center for the Study of Global Christianity (CSGC) at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Mass. CSGC researchers generated their estimates based in large part on figures provided by Christian denominations and organizations around the world. CSGC has obtained denominational membership information from about 41,000 organizations worldwide.24 The Center for the Study of Global Christianity’s estimates for the number of pentecostals worldwide are based on membership data from historically pentecostal denominations, such as the Assemblies of God and the Church of God in Christ. Pentecostal denominations emphasize the gifts of the Holy Spirit, including speaking in tongues, divine healing and prophecy. (For more details, see Defining Christian Traditions on page 38.) The pentecostal estimates also include denominations and independent churches that have pervasive pentecostal characteristics or practices but are not considered historically pentecostal.25 Charismatic Christians engage in spiritual practices associated with pentecostalism, such as speaking in tongues and divine healing, but belong to Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant or other denominations in which a minority of congregations have pervasive pentecostal practices. (For more details, see Defining Christian Traditions on page 38.) The Center for the Study of Global Christianity’s estimates of the size of the charismatic movement are based on statistics from denominational groups, relevant survey data and questionnaires distributed to key religious leaders. -
Baptists in America LIVE Streaming Many Baptists Have Preferred to Be Baptized in “Living Waters” Flowing in a River Or Stream On/ El S
CHRISTIAN HISTORY Issue 126 Baptists in America Did you know? you Did AND CLI FOUNDING SCHOOLS,JOININGTHEAR Baptists “churchingthe MB “se-Baptist” (self-Baptist). “There is good warrant for (self-Baptist). “se-Baptist” manyfession Their shortened but of that Faith,” to described his group as “Christians Baptized on Pro so baptized he himself Smyth and his in followers 1609. dam convinced him baptism, the of need believer’s for established Anglican Mennonites Church). in Amster wanted(“Separatists” be to independent England’s of can became priest, aSeparatist in pastor Holland BaptistEarly founder John Smyth, originally an Angli SELF-SERVE BAPTISM ING TREES M selves,” M Y, - - - followers eventuallyfollowers did join the Mennonite Church. him as aMennonite. They refused, though his some of issue and asked the local Mennonite church baptize to rethought later He baptism the themselves.” put upon two men singly“For are church; no two so may men a manchurching himself,” Smyth wrote his about act. would later later would cated because his of Baptist beliefs. Ironically Brown Dunster had been fired and in his 1654 house confis In fact HarvardLeague Henry president College today. nial schools,which mostof are members the of Ivy Baptists often were barred from attending other colo Baptist oldest college1764—the in the United States. helped graduates found to Its Brown University in still it exists Bristol, England,founded at in today. 1679; The first Baptist college, Bristol Baptist was College, IVY-COVERED WALLSOFSEPARATION LIVE “E discharged